New Evergreen CPU Upgrades Provide Easy Speed Boost on Budget for Business Users, Gamers with PII & Early PIII Systems.

Business Editors/Technology Writers

CORVALLIS, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2001

Upgrading PII (350 MHz and above) & early PIII systems,

Performa 850 is powered by 850 MHz Celeron II while

Performa III 850 is powered by 850 MHz Coppermine PIII

Evergreen Technologies, Inc., a leader in PC performance upgrades since 1989, today announced two new CPU upgrades which rev up early Pentium III systems, as well as Pentium II systems running at 350 MHz or more. (These systems feature a 100 MHz front side bus speed.)

Evergreen's new Performa 850 and Performa III 850 processor replacement upgrades boost these older PIII and PII systems to the speeds available in brand new value PCs, at a fraction of the cost. They offer enhanced 3D performance for graphics, video and sound, which is demanded by today's leading business and gaming software.

Evergreen's new Performa III 850 provides the processing power of Intel's full Coppermine PIII core, which delivers the latest MMX and SIMD video enhancement instructions along with 256K of L2 cache memory.

Evergreen's Performa upgrade line provides the processing power of the Intel Celeron(TM) II flip-chip processor, the value-based (128K vs. 256K L2 cache) derivative of the full Coppermine PIII core. Evergreen's new Performa 850 (and 800 version also) feature the recently introduced Celeron II, which supports a full 100 MHz front side system bus. Previous Performa 766 and 700 MHz upgrades were based on a 66 MHz front side system bus to boost performance of earlier PII and Slot 1 Celeron systems of 233 MHz or more.

Also, as a point solution for early PII systems containing the Intel 440LX Atlanta motherboard, Evergreen has designed the Performa 533 SE Celeron upgrade. Contact Evergreen for more details.

"If a user needs a more powerful PC and they have the budget to purchase one, we encourage them to buy new," said Mike Magee, president and CEO of Evergreen Technologies. "Alternatively, Evergreen provides an easy speed boost for business users and gamers on a budget who want to extend the life of their PCs for two to three more years. If the other system components (RAM, video card, etc.) are adequate -- which is expected in PII, Celeron and PIII systems -- more processing power may be all that is needed to dramatically improve a user's everyday computing or gaming experience."

Use Evergreen's Exclusive Web-Based Pre-Qualification Tool

to Find Best Upgrade for System:

Evergreen has designed an easy-to-install processor upgrade for virtually all generations of desktop systems. From www.evergreennow.com, users are invited to "Take the Test, Find an Upgrade Now!" When they click, they can download Evergreen's exclusive System Information Utility. Once executed, the program displays complete system information and links to the most appropriate compatible upgrade products for the user's specific machine.

Easy Installation, No Reinstallation of Software Necessary:

Customers need only open their system case, and follow Evergreen's step-by-step installation guide to remove the old CPU and replace it with the upgrade. No technical knowledge is required. Evergreen also provides a collection of BIOS updates for selected systems, which the customer may need to complete their upgrade. The installation process will inform the customer if this is required. The process takes only minutes. Also, the customer will not need to reinstall any software, as often will be required if they choose a motherboard upgrade instead.

Pricing:

Performa III (based on Coppermine PIII) and Performa 850 and 800 (based on new Celeron II with 100 MHz front side system bus) upgrades for early PIII and PII systems running at 350 MHz and above:

-- Performa III 850 -- $389.99 list

-- Performa III 800 -- $359.99 list

-- Performa III 700 -- $279.99 list

-- Performa 850 -- $329.99 list

-- Performa 800 -- $269.99 list

Performa (based on Celeron II) upgrades for 233 MHz and higher speed PII systems, as well as Slot One-based Celeron systems that feature a 66 MHz bus speed:

-- 766 MHz -- $249.99 list

-- 700 MHz -- $189.99 list

Lower priced Performa 600 ($109.99 list) and 533 ($129.99 list) versions are also available. For PII systems with the Intel 440LX Atlanta motherboard, the Performa 533 SE Celeron is $129.99.

Availability and Support:

The Evergreen Performa III and Performa lines are available through national distributors, retailers, PC mail order catalogs and directly from Evergreen's website. These product lines are covered by a one-year warranty, and technical support is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST. For more information, call 800/733-0934, visit www.evergreennow.com or send email to [e-mail].

About Evergreen Technologies, Inc.:

Evergreen Technologies, Inc., based in Corvallis, Oregon, designs, manufactures, distributes and supports performance and system upgrades for the PC (Windows and Macintosh) marketplace. Since 1989, Evergreen has pioneered a range of solutions that "refresh" older systems to current system performance and functionality.

Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks and Celeron is a trademark of Intel Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.